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| Association
of Communications Enterprises |
1401 K
Street, N.W. Suite 600 Washington, D.C. 20005 |
Phone:(202)
835-9898 Fax:(202) 835-9893 | |
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Contact: Celeste Powers Director of Public Affairs (202) 835-9898, ext.3015 cpowers@ascent.org | ||
| New 'Competitive Broadband
Coalition' Formed to Demonstrate Successes of Broadband Deployment
Under the Telecom Act Competitive Companies Document Achievements and Obstacles in Bring New Data and Internet Services to Market |
| (Washington, DC April 12, 1999) A newly-formed
coalition of associations and companies providing competitive
broadband telecom services to all Americans said today the key to
faster deployment of these new technologies is ensuring that policy
makers enforce the market-opening principles of the
Telecommunications Act of 1996. On the eve of a Senate hearing on
broadband issues scheduled April 13, the Competitive Broadband
Coalition said it will call on regulators, Congress and the Clinton
Administration to continue to uphold the basic principles of the Act
to ensure that Americans have a choice in advanced data services.
The Coalition looks forward to having its members share industry
success stories as a result of the Act with policymakers. The
Coalition, whose members include the Association for Local
Telecommunications Services (ALTS), AT&T, the Commercial
Internet eXchange Association (CIX), the Competitive
Telecommunications Association (CompTel), MCI WorldCom, Qwest,
Sprint, and the Telecommunications Resellers Association (TRA) will
focus on the following critical goals: · Focus national attention on
the entire industry's efforts to implement broadband facilities; ·
Emphasize that full deployment of advanced broadband data services
can only happen when markets are open for all competitors; · Urge
policymakers to continue to support the open markets that
competitors need; · Encourage Congress to leave the Telecom Act
alone. The Act already provides the proper incentives for
encouraging the deployment of broadband services. Reopening or
changing the Act would chill investment in broadband. Policymakers
need to stand firm and enforce the Act. The coalition has compiled
objective third party data showing that competitive forces are
driving the rapid deployment of broadband services to customers.
Aggressive investment by CLECs, cable companies and satellite
providers in new broadband infrastructure and services is the reason
for the stepped up broadband deployment by the local telephone
companies. "Competitive local phone companies are leading the charge
to deploy advanced data services," said John Windhausen, Jr., ALTS
President. "Under the Telecommunications Act, the CLECs have
invested in and built the advanced local networks that support
Internet services used by businesses, consumers, schools and
libraries in thousands of communities across America, as well as
specialized high-speed data services such as DSL. To assure the
continued explosive growth of these services, competitors need a
strong pro-competitive signal from policy makers and legislators."
"The Internet service providers we represent need choice for the
'last mile' to the home that is still firmly controlled by the Bell
monopolies and GTE," said Barbara Dooley, president of Commercial
Internet eXchange. "ISPs would be severely harmed if the incumbent
local providers are relieved from their obligation to open their
markets to competitors. This 'relief' will hinder, not help, the
deployment of advanced services and high speed Internet access."
"The threat of competition from competitive service providers of all
types and sizes is forcing the Bell monopolies and GTE to deploy
their broadband DSL services much faster than they had planned,"
said H. Russell Frisby, Jr., president of CompTel. "Market forces
are beginning to work and consumers and businesses are beginning to
see the fruits. The most damaging thing policy makers could do now
is to succumb to monopolists claiming they need special relief.
"This coalition is an historic collection of entities from across
the competitive industry, from large to small, including CLECs,
ISPs, resellers and global long distance carriers all with one
message: the Act is working and competition is the only
alternative." "It goes without saying that if you want advanced
telecommunications services dispersed as widely as possible, you
need more than a handful of local telephone monopolies providing
them," said TRA President Ernest B. Kelly III. "We need to make them
available through resale at discounts and through unbundled network
elements so that thousands of small businesses who specialize in the
sales and marketing of telecommunications services can do what they
do best. Nothing the FCC could do would stimulate the growth of
advanced services more than this."
|
 Association of Communications Enterprises (ASCENT) - http://www.ascent.org/ - is the leading trade organization of entrepreneurial communications firms and their suppliers. ASCENT member companies provide a full range of communications services utilizing narrowband, broadband and wireless technologies. They share a common desire for new business opportunities, technological innovation, managerial excellence, and adherence to high ethical standards. ASCENT's mission is to open all communications markets to full and fair competition and to help member companies design and implement successful business plans. Formerly the Telecommunications Resellers Association (TRA), ASCENT was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. |